Clock Tower: The First Fear
Clock Tower is a survival horror game and the first installment of the Clock Tower series. It was developed and published by Human Entertainment for the Super Famicom on September 14, 1995 (Japan). It was released on the Virtual Console for Nintendo Wii on August 3, 2010 (Japan) and on the Virtual Console for Nintendo Wii U on November 6, 2013 (Japan). ''Clock Tower: The First Fear '' is an enhanced port of the original game. It was developed and published by Human Entertainment for the PC on March 28, 1997 (Japan) and for the PlayStation on July 17, 1997 (Japan). The PC version had a budget re-release in 1999 and onwards. The PlayStation version has been released as a "PlayStation Classic" on the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 on November 9, 2011 in Japan. There has also been a port to the WonderSwan, which was released on December 9, 1999 (Japan). The game was not released outside of Japan; fortunately however, the Super Famicom version has been unofficially translated into English and a few other languages. There is an upcoming survival horror inspired by the game titled Remothered. Gameplay Clock Tower is a 2D point and click style game, where the player controls a cursor to direct the main character, Jennifer Simpson, and give commands such as investigating objects or opening doors. The interface is akin to 1990s-era computer adventure games, but simplified to work better with a gamepad. Primarily, the player can only move Jennifer left and right through the environment, although there are some rooms in which an action requires Jennifer to step into the background. Clock Tower is different from other adventure games of the era in that it features a stalker pursuing the main character; this delays puzzle solving and requires the player to run in order to find objects or hiding places to fend off or avoid the attacker. The stalker is a slasher villain, named Bobby, who wields a large pair of scissors. If directly confronted by Bobby, the player is sent into a panic (shown by the background of Jennifer's picture flashing red and blue) and must repeatedly pound the "panic button" to struggle with the attacker. If the player does not tap the panic button fast enough, Bobby will attack Jennifer and the player will be presented with a game over screen. Although the game refers to it as Jennifer's health, the color of the background where her face is shown changes to represent her current fear level. Blue means she is in a calm state, while yellow means she is startled, orange meaning she is alarmed, and finally red, where she will begin to panic. In red, she is more likely to be attacked during a direct confrontation with Bobby. Additionally, while running away from Bobby, there is a chance Jennifer might trip over her feet, making her vulnerable if Bobby is close by and lowering her health by one level. Many of Bobby’s appearances are triggered by the player inspecting certain objects, but there are some cases in which he will come out of a hiding place and chase Jennifer as soon as she enters a room. He can also appear randomly if Jennifer has not triggered him for a certain amount of time. Plot Jennifer Simpson is a child from the fictional Granite Orphanage in Romsdalen, Norway. She and her friends, who are also orphans (Laura, Anne and Lotte) are adopted in September 1995 (the same month the game was released) by a wealthy recluse named Mr. Barrows and are picked up from the orphanage and taken to the mansion by his wife. They live in a mansion known as the "Clock Tower", named after its most predominant feature, and the girls are under the impression that it will be their future home. The game immediately begins with the five of them walking towards the Barrows mansion and settling in the main foyer. Mary, Mr. Barrow's wife, instructs them to wait there in the foyer and leaves to find Mr. Barrows, but she takes an unusually long time. Jennifer offers to investigate, but upon leaving the room, a scream is heard from the main foyer. Jennifer returns to find the lights are off and the girls are missing. She soon finds herself being stalked after finding either Laura or Anne killed by a murderous little boy with deformed features, wielding a huge pair of scissors. Laura's corpse would be found hanged at the bathtub, or found in a suit of armor if the player dares to click on it, while Anne would die either by being impaled through a stained-glass ceiling, being thrown through a window, or drowning in the pool of the courtyard. The boy is Bobby Barrows, the Scissorman, who will be Jennifer's main stalker and tormentor for the rest of the game. While exploring the mansion, Jennifer will need to find out Mary's true evil intentions - either by discovering Simon Barrows (her supposed new guardian) trapped in a jail cell inside the courtyard, or by discovering her father's corpse in a hidden room. If the former happens, Jennifer will need to give him a piece of ham as food. If the latter happens, Jennifer will find his death letter that tells of his account about Mary Barrows and her twins, Bobby and Dan. It says that he was trapped there for three days, until his death on November 10, 1986. Jennifer must visit a small, Satanic church-esque area beneath the mansion if she is to defeat Mary, Bobby, and Dan (the last of whom she is still unaware of) and maybe save one of her friends. However, to obtain the key to this area, Jennifer has to fight off a possessed doll in Bobby's nursery room to obtain a key and therefore start a chain of events that will lead to finding other items and clues; if the player has collected all the necessary items and clues, then Jennifer is able to gain access to the underground catacombs of the mansion through the discovery of either the Devil Idol or the Sceptor, but the former is canonical as it appears in the sequel. Jennifer sees a cloaked figure walking ahead of her; this is Mary. She follows it, wearing a disguise to fool the guard dog using Mary's perfume, and a black cloak found in the mansion. If she did not need to rescue Jennifer from the jail cell, Lotte can be found dying at an altar, and tells Jennifer about the switches in the clock tower. Otherwise, she rescues Jennifer from the jail cell, but is shot by an angry Mary, who appears to be frustrated that Jennifer has made it this far. Jennifer enters a room, where she discovers the humongous Dan Barrows, hidden within curtains. At that point, the awakened Dan chases down Jennifer to a steep cliff. She successfully climbs over, accidentally knocking down a can of kerosene which splashes onto a nearby candle. This triggers an explosion and burns up Dan, and Jennifer rides an elevator in the catacombs. She ends up defeating Bobby in the clock tower, and Mary as well in (or around, depending on prior actions) the clock tower. If Anne (or Laura) had not died yet, then this survivor would reunite with Jennifer at the clock tower, but either later be thrown down the tower by Mary, or join Jennifer for the credits, depending on prior actions. These actions would lead to one of Endings S, A, B, or C - all except Ending S could be canonical according to the events of the next game. Because of the game's open-ended nature, the player can also discover a number of other endings. Endings Ending S: Upon reaching the top of the Clock Tower, Jennifer finds Anne/Laura lying down on the floor unconscious. As Bobby shows up ready to strike at Jennifer, she flips the two switches on the tower. Bobby hears the bells ringing and, unable to bear the sound, falls into the gears of the tower below. After he falls, Jennifer walks over to Anne/Laura, only to hear Ms. Mary tell Jennifer from the shadows what a terrible daughter she's been. She proceeds to run after Jennifer, choking her from behind. Suddenly a flock of crows (including the one Jennifer saved earlier) come out and begin to peck at Ms. Mary, pushing her over the edge of the tower entrance. Jennifer then wakes up Anne/Laura as they proceed outside of the tower, watching as the rain stops and the sun rises. In order to get this ending you must only see two of your friends die, free the crow, see Walter's room, and choose the 3rd floor on the elevator. Ending A: Same as above, but instead of Anne/Laura lying on the ground, they run towards Jennifer after Bobby is killed, only for Ms. Mary to come out of the shadows and throw her into the clock tower gears. Jennifer then struggles with Ms. Mary as the crows push her off the tower. Jennifer stands atop the tower alone watching the sun rise in the distance. To see this ending you must find Simon Barrows in the jail cell, seen only two of your friends die, free the crow from its cage, and choose the 3rd floor on the elevator. This ending is considered canon to the series. Ending B: Same as Ending S, but Anne and Laura are both killed at this point. Ms. Mary comes out of the shadows and struggles with Jennifer, only for Jennifer to force her into the generator that she used to activate the tower, electrocuting Ms. Mary to death. Jennifer stands atop the tower alone watching the sun rise in the distance. You can get this ending either by seeing all of your friend's die or failing to free the crow as you go up to the 3rd floor. This ending is considered canon to the series. Ending C: As Jennifer exits the elevator, she encounters Ms. Mary. As Jennifer is questioning why she is doing this to her and her friends, Ms. Mary attempts to stab her. Jennifer escapes her clutches and dashes past her, running towards the ladder outside as Mary screams for Bobby to kill Jennifer for the death of Dan. Jennifer climbs up the ladder as Ms. Mary follows close by, grabbing one of her legs. Jennifer eventually kicks her off and Ms. Mary falls off the tower to her death below. As Jennifer reaches the top, Bobby closes in behind her and she activates the switches to the tower. The noise starts affecting Bobby as he throws his scissors to the ground and stumbles off the tower into the gears below. Jennifer walks outside and watches as the rain slows and the sun rises in the distance. In order to achieve this ending, you must see all your friends die, find Walter's room, and go to the 2nd floor on the elevator. This ending is considered canon to the series. Ending D: Jennifer exits the elevator on the second floor, only to find Ms. Mary waiting for her. Since she didn't find the note on her father's body, Jennifer doesn't know about Ms. Mary murdering him. Ms. Mary comforts Jennifer by telling her she's safe now, and Jennifer runs over to hug her. However, Ms. Mary brandishes a knife and stabs Jennifer in the chest with it. With her last dying breath, Jennifer says "W...why?" and falls to the ground, Ms. Mary says nothing as she looks down on her. In order to get this ending, you must be trapped in the jail cell with Simon Barrows, have seen all your friends die, and have chosen the 2nd floor on the elevator. Ending E: Inside the elevator, Jennifer presses the button for the third floor, and the elevator suddenly halts. Bobby breaks into the elevator through an overhead vent, Jennifer screams and the screen fades to black. Ending F: If Jennifer does not see Lotte die, she will continue the game normally until the elevator sequence. Upon entering the elevator, the doors close. Bobby attacks Jennifer off-screen, and blood seeps from under the elevator doors. Ending G: If Jennifer sees two of her friends die, she will leave in the car, escaping the mansion and return to the orphanage. A text cut scene tells that Jennifer was found dead three days later in her room. The cause of this ending is unclear; the most common theories that she is killed by one or more of the Barrows, or that Jennifer committed suicide over the loss of her friends. Ending H: This ending is considered the "worst". Jennifer stumbles across a car in the garage, and finds the key in a crate. She is unable to leave her friends in the mansion, but after three attempts to enter the car, she eventually gives in and escapes, driving through the wall of the shed. In the ensuing cut scene, a pair of scissors can be seen from the back seat, Jennifer appears shocked, and screams. The screen then fades to black. PlayStation Port The game was remade for the Sony PlayStation in 1997, giving it the name it has now: Clock Tower: The First Fear. This version took the advantage of the newer 32-bit hardware of the Sony PlayStation, and added new sounds, scenes, and FMVs to enhance the Clock Tower experience. This version is Japan exclusive, and there has been no releases outside. *Scenes added: **The TV in the Den will turn on and show a scene of white noise with a vague image of Dan. **In the bedroom with the parrot, there will be a scene showing the parrot. **In one of the bathrooms, when Jennifer walks to the sink, it will show a scene of her washing her hands. Upon approaching the sink again, she will wash her hands again, this time the sink pouring out blood. **In the Hutch Room, when examining the crow's corpse, the scene will show the crow decapitated with a cleaver. *In the Taxidermy Room, when going to the far left and examining the closet, Jennifer will find a mummified corpse (this can be seen in the original version, but will not come to life) which will come to life and chase Jennifer. In order to get rid of the corpse, Jennifer must find the green dagger located in the box before opening the closet and stab the corpse with it, causing it to fall apart. This is required to release the crows in the Hutch Room, as the corpse drops the Hutch Key. The corpse can kill Jennifer in one hit. *In the Play Room, the small mannequin isn't the only doll that will attack you, as the red clown doll can also attack. *A new cinematic explaining how Dan was able to be the new Scissorman in Clock Tower. Shortly after being incinerated, after Jennifer escapes the room, it shows an ashen faced boy rise from Dan's ashes, looking roughly the same age as Bobby. *It puts new use to the items unused, like the green dagger. *There is a strange item that has no use called Like55.wav, in the form of a CD. It is most likely an unused sound effect, judging by the .wav format. WonderSwan Port In 1999, the PlayStation version of The First Fear was ported to the WonderSwan. However, due to the system's small black-and-white screen, aesthetic changes had to be made to the game; the graphics are not as detailed, text appears in the upper-left-hand corner on top of the game, and Jennifer's health is monitored by three dots on the side of the screen rather than a portrait, which is not present. Also, you cannot see your entire inventory at one time; you must push a button to scroll the cursor through all the items. This version of the game does include a pause function, though. Neither the WonderSwan nor the WonderSwan port of The First Fear were released outside of Japan, and there are not currently any translations of the port, fanmade or otherwise. Trivia * The story is loosely based on Dario Argento's 1985 film, Phenomena. * Clock Tower was among the first survival horror games that were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s. External links * Official page in the Nintendo Virtual Console (Japanese) See also * Clock Tower ~The First Fear~ Prologue * Clock Tower ~The First Fear~ - Method to capture victory